Angels of Reach
by Bigfoot02
Summary: This is the story of ODST squad Angel and their struggle trying to take back Reach. With nothing but the guns on their backs and with the help of an old friend. But even against these impossible odds, heroes are born from the ashes. Rated M for language and very intense violence.
1. Welcome to Angel Squad

_**Chapter 1: Welcome to Angel Squad**_

**Hey guys! This is my very first novel so constructive criticism, advice or even novel ideas. I'll accept anything you have to offer! **

Some say history is written by the victor… that is the biggest lie ever told to man. We were told the war would be won so long as we kept fighting, and our reward was watching a world go up in flames. Reach was a war we could never have won, thrown against impossible odds while giving false hope to those who truly believed we could stop the Covenant. No one was safe from the slaughter… men, women, children, marines, Spartans, it didn't matter; they were all lambs at the slaughter.

Some survived, scarred by watching a whole world be glassed by the covenant fleet wishing they were consumed by the terror which claimed their home… But this war would make even the cockiest, headstrong and hostile men learn that in war, we are all brothers.

Welcome to Reach.

July 21th, 2552

Ryan walked through the halls of the Pillar of Autumn, avoiding the collection of engineers and marines as he made his way down to the weight room. Although they usually moved out of his way seeing the "Hell Jumpers" tattoo he has on his left shoulder, it was nice being recognized. People fear ODST's for good reason, dropping out of a pod at atmospheric levels straight into a hot zone automatically made you badass, crazy and respected. Most of the ODST's are hot headed and cocky, even towards the Spartans, which most say are "Just a bunch of steroid babies putting on a show". They never liked anyone who took the spotlight away from them.

Inside was his squad of five other ODST's, Butch, Hammer, Red, Snow and Cross. Butch and Hammer we're brothers, twins actually, born from New Harmony. Both being 6'4, buzz cut dark brown hair wide jaws, green eyes, round skulls and an attitude like their shoe sizes, no one is sure if even elites would want to go toe to toe with these crazy bastards who usually packed heavy weapons and had tongues sharp enough to insult even Cross himself. Red was the sniper, silent and deadly, New Mombasa, Earth. He was dark skinned with short cut hair like all Jumpers. Made him all the easier to make fun of. Except it's probably not a good idea to do it at a distance. Snow was a funny mix of what most ODST's only wish for. Firstly, she was a woman; probably one of the only female hell jumper to exist. Secondly, she's attractive, with her shoulder length blonde hair, narrow chin and overall long face with high risen cheeks and blue eyes. Most guys would hit on her, but she reminded Hammer with a swift kick in the balls telling him she wasn't a softy that needed protection. Finally is Cross, who not even his squad knows a lot about other than he is straight orders keep-mouths-shut-when-ordered kind of guy. His so called secrets have secrets, all of which hide under that melon-like bald head of his and his beady grey eyes. Even Ryan wonders how many secrets will spill out if his head got cracked open.

Looking at his squad members all ready to go, Ryan approached the 5 chatting hell jumpers, taking off his jacket revealing his muscle shirt and well toned muscles underneath while Butch look up with a smile. "What took you so long to get here bed wetter?"

Ryan looked at Butch like he wanted to shoot the smug look of that assholes face. That nickname was given to him after his first drop in a pod. The air brake had only worked for a few seconds before breaking off, the pod hitting the ground too fast and knocking him unconscious. When he had woken up in the med bay, his squad had told him that right before his pod must have hit the ground he must have pissed himself before getting knocked out. Not a single day went by when he wasn't reminded by Butch or Hammer.

Snow looked over at Butch, seemingly how she usually loved to insult the two brutes. "You know, last time I heard you screamed the whole way down on your first."

Butch gave her a glare and bared teeth like he was some sort of rabid dog. "You better keep your mouth shut you little…"

Cross shot a look over at Butch and Snow with his small, beady, deathly eyes. "Lock it down, both of you," His tone dropped to show how pissed off he was "Or do I have to end it myself?"

Butch and Snow look over at Cross and went to attention standing and immediately replied. "No sir!"

Cross rolled his eyes before standing to head to the mess hall. "Good, if I have to do it again, I'll hand your asses to the Covenant myself."

After finally walking out, Snow looked like she was going to hit someone, most likely Butch, and everyone sat silently while Ryan walked over and looked back over his shoulder. "What the fuck is his problem?"

Snow simply shook her head, "Honestly…" She let out a puff of air and brushed some of her long blonde hair out of her face. "I haven't got a clue, maybe it's because he's spent so much time sitting on his ass."

As long as he had been with him, Ryan didn't quite understand Cross, hell, no one did. He always seemed to be uptight, biting at heads whenever they had a little fight between them like he wanted everything to be quiet. Everyone was on edge because of the recent attacks. Colonies being wiped out one by one is like doomsday marked on a calendar. And all they could do was sit on their asses and wait for Hell to come jumping on them. Ryan knew it, Snow knew it, and everyone knew it was only time until the Covenant showed up.

Hammer had already been on the bench press lifting 250 pounds while the argument was going on and finally set the bar down and sat up. "All I know is I can't wait until they show up. Fighting brutes is better than listening to marines complaining about how shitty the food taste." Hammer always thought everyone should be as tough as him, so marines didn't exactly like him being around.

Red looked over from the wall he was leaning against, his brown skin and short hair making him nearly unnoticeable. "Oh yeah," He piped up with a laugh. "Gives me an excuse to shoot grunts, love watching those little prick's heads explode."

Ryan looked at his squad while curling with a 60 pound dumbbell, listening to the conversation while they did their workouts talking about what they would do when the covenant shows up. They always did this to keep their morals up and in order to keep their cocky as Hell attitudes. After their workouts they walked to their bunks and laughed before they went to their rooms to get a good rest for the next day. Ryan sat at the terminal and went through the menus until he turned on the camera and started the recording.

"Hey little sis, It's Ryan. Sorry I won't be home for your birthday this year, I know I promised but they got me working until next year. I sent you a present though, should arrive a day or two after your special day. Wish I could see you growing up; see how much of a big girl you're becoming… I miss you Lindsay… I miss mom and dad… I'm sorry I couldn't be home this time…" Ryan sniffed a little before rubbing his eyes before laughing sadly. "Making me cry thinking about just how long I've been gone... I tried sis, I begged them to let me come home and how much it would mean to you but…" Ryan's voice began to crack and a single tear rolled down his face as he tried to keep himself composed. "I love you sis, promise I'll be home as soon as I can."

With that he closed the screen and laid his head on the desk, feeling pain leech at his body with every tear that rolled down his face, making a small pool on the desk. He finally sat up a made a quiet sob, going over to his bed and laying quietly, laying in the darkness hoping he would eventually fall into a peaceful and quiet sleep in order to take away the pain.

**So that was chapter one of Angels of Reach! Please review and if you see any mistakes, tell me and I will fix them A.S.A.P.! I will release more chapters for you to read soon enough!**


	2. Fight in the Schoolyard

_**Chapter 2: Fight in the Schoolyard**_

**This is chapter 2 of Angels of Reach! Any concerns you see in my writing don't hesitate to ask! Enjoy!**

July 22nd 2552

Ryan woke up from his restless and nightmarish sleep feeling like he had just been thrown around by a brute. When he tried to look back on it, all he saw was a city… not Reach but Earth. He watched as covenant ships began glassing the planet and scores of covenant soldiers poured out all over the streets, gunning down anyone who even dared try to escape. Suddenly his sister ran out and he screamed at her to stop but she kept running as if she didn't see him; like she was running away from him. Then suddenly, when he blinked, his sister was impaled and held up with an energy sword, mouth wide open but no screams as the elite's active camouflage flickered off. It held her up to its face and smelled her before throwing her body to the ground, letting a pool of blood gather by her chest. The Elite then turned to Ryan and let out a deep, roaring laughter before staring at him with small beady eyes under his helmet.

"You will all burn!"

He sat up from his bed feeling exhausted and went into the bathroom to clean himself up. He quickly shaved the coarse stubble off his face and examined his face as he then proceeded to cut it short again. Ryan had a fairly wide face but far less then the twins or Cross, wide jawed with a narrow chin, mid-height cheeks and short brown hair with a copper tinge to it. His build was also large, having broad, squared off shoulders and arms thick with muscle but more of lean muscle then body builder stuff. After that he looked at his smooth muscle toned chest, putting a finger on a scar over his right lung with went around to the small of his back. Taking time to look over it he remembers how he got it, dropping in and being caught off guard right out of the pod. Elite had tried stabbing him with a sword and missing the vitals by a mere inch; had it not been for Red, he probably wouldn't be alive.

After finishing up, Ryan walked down to the hangar bay in order to keep himself entertained, walking around watching marines run through, most likely for discipline reasons. He also looked over and saw a squad of Hell Jumpers all clustered around a warthog, bearing the tattoos of "Thunder Squad". He quietly swore to himself and immediately made his way towards the door straight in front of him, hoping they hadn't seen him.

Thunder was the most violent, bat shit insane, cockiest sons a bitches that are stationed on Reach. They usually beat other ODST's just for the sake of showing they were the alpha dogs and most of them were just insane in general.

He made it about 20 feet from the door from when suddenly he heard a pair of boots smack on the ground, and at that moment he knew it was Thunder because a second later he heard several other slow footsteps and the clatter as people moved out of the way. There was a chuckle before a deep, laughing voice broke the silence. "Well, well, well..." He said still laughing. "What do we have here? Lost little Angel fell from the sky?'

Ryan turned to face Thunder Squad, all eight of them with their tattoo covered arms and shoulders, and insane look in their eyes. The one standing in front, who everyone called Little Joe, with his short, ginger hair and massive body builder muscle stood in front of the squad and looked around. "Seems like you came all by yourself hmm?"

The lone angel squad member turned to face the eight others with a small smile as if he wasn't expecting a beating to happen. Great thing about being how he spent his childhood avoiding fights, he can handle being called a little pansy ass bitch and walk away; with thunder? He doubted that would fly, but it was worth the shot.

People had cleared from around him to give him space he would need. Ryan looked around the wide open hangar as if he wasn't the one they were talking to and then brought his eyes down on Joe. "Well I thought I might go for a stroll, just trying to pass the time you know?" He said with a blank look on his face. This time a fight would not only look bad on him, but also he wouldn't walk for the rest of his life.

Thunder responded with a chuckle as they formed a half circle around him which he knew was a sure sign that a fight was going to start, he only had one thing that he knew he needed to use now.

Joe had already made his way straight for Ryan, a look in his eyes like he wasn't going to stand a chance. As he awaited the inevitable beating he was about to endure, he heard someone yell out, "Hey! The fuck you think you're doing you prissy little rain cloud?"

His face had gone beet red and with a clenched jaw, Joe actually turned slightly to see Butch standing up on the upper railing yelling down to him, and he looked straight at him while he taunted back, "Why don't you come down so I can kick your ass my…"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Ryan had charged him and kicked the side of his knee cap as hard as he could, caving in with a loud crack from his combat boots breaking bone. He then kneed him straight in the center of his back, forcing a massive wave of pain to shoot through his body and to lie against the floor. Joe turned to try and get up but Ryan had brought his boot down on his head, shattering his nose, fresh blood spraying all over the cold metal floor and knocking him out cold.

The rest of the squad watched in shock as their squad leader went down before he even had a clue what had happened and one of them had yelled out. "You little bitch! Let's beat this cheap bastard!" And with that, Ryan knew it was time to throw away all the rules of a fight.

Out of the seven in the half circle, four of them had come after Ryan while the rest were too shocked to comprehend what had just happened. One of them grabbed him by the shirt and sent a punch straight across his jaw, making a crack as it made contact. The squad member then threw him against a docked pelican and picked up a massive piece of pipe of sorts and swung it straight for Ryan's head. He rolled quickly and the pipe struck the transport, leaving a small dent in the side while Ryan had grabbed a small pipe and smashed it into the knee of the trooper, sending the broken bone and muscle through the back of his leg before smashing him again in the jaw, breaking it and knocking him out cold. By now the crowd was amazed at what Ryan was doing and began actually cheering for him, crying out his name and whistling as he looked over to see what they were doing; bad mistake.

One of the others tackled him straight in the chest, smashing him against a supply crate while he drove punches straight for his face. Ryan managed to block a few but a few struck his face, leaving red, swollen marks and bloody teeth. Once the trooper drew back his fist back for a finishing blow, Ryan quickly shot him in the lungs with a jab, knocking the wind out of him and slamming him against the crate. He then gave a final stomp on the man's windpipe and drove the remaining air out of him. The one trooper had decided to back off while the remaining one gave him body shots all over before grabbing his throat and holding him against the crate, drawing out a long combat knife from his hip and pressing it against Ryan's neck. "I'm going to gut you like a fucking pig!'

Before Ryan could even think to react, a boot suddenly smashed the man in the side of the head, sending him sprawling against the floor with his three other comrades. The trooper stood to see Snow standing in front of Ryan, a look in her eyes like she was going to murder this little fucker. The man had blood flowing from the side of his head and his nose while he glared at her. "Better move out of the way Molly Maid, or else I'll put you on the menu as well!"

Snow ran at the man so quickly his eyes went as wide as saucers before sending a punch straight across his jaw. When the man had barely hit the floor she put a boot on his throat and held his knife to his eye. "Call me that again… and I will cut…your fucking… balls off!" She said through gritted teeth while the trooper had already gone pale white and scampered off, leaving the other men on the floor.

Ryan spat out blood from his mouth and grimaced from the possible broken ribs and several other injuries while he smiled a painful look at Snow. "Thanks… would have been screwed if you hadn't showed up…" He barely managed to make that out before needing to cough up some more blood.

Snow looked over at him before walking over and looking at him. "You ok?" She looked at him with her big, blue eyes concerned. It was a look she had never really given him, he always thought she didn't like being seen as a softy but she was concerned.

Painfully, he tried to suffice with words but all that came out was a groan and him falling against the supply crate. Eventually he managed to make out a sentence that was audible. "Yeah… I'm fine"

Before Snow could continue her sentence the rest of angel walked over, Hammer and Butch having a big ass grins on their faces before Butch spoke first. "Shit man! Never thought the day when you would ACTUALLY fight someone!"

Ryan smiled and Hammer clasped him by the shoulder with an iron-like grip before wrapping an arm around him while Red and Cross showed up. "We got to give him a new nickname! Fucking over all of thunder squad deserves recognition!"

Red smiled in the background while Cross walked over with a look in his eyes like always, pissed as almighty fuck. He looked around at the down troopers before looking back to Ryan. "Was it in self defense?"

Hammer looked at Ryan and wrapped an arm around his other shoulder so the two brothers were standing on either side of him. Hammer laughed childishly. "Sir, Isn't that the regular bullshit?"

Cross looked at the beat up squad member, ignoring Hammer's comment. "Was it?"

He spat off blood to the side so it didn't land on Cross's boots. "Yes sir,' He said with a bloody smile. "It most definitely was."

Defiantly, against all odds, something not deemed possible to man, Cross smirked which broke into a smile. "Go get those wounds patched up; you're going to have some explaining to do tomorrow."

Ryan began walking off while Cross told the medics in the area to come deal with the troopers knocked out and bleeding. Snow walked right next to him while Hammer, Butch and Red walked slightly behind. Butch laughed as they arrived at the med bay. "Heal well you crazy bastard, we have to spend time figuring out your new nickname since I can't call you bed wetter anymore!"

Snow stood in the doorframe with a slight smile on her face as Ryan looked up at her from the bed. She brushed hair out of her face and smiled back until Hammer called her and she looked to him. Before leaving she glanced back at Ryan and then ran down the hall to catch up with the others. Ryan let a breath out before hanging his head low waiting for the doctor to show up, he sat there for a good long while waiting for the inevitable.

Tomorrow was going to fucking suck.

**That was chapter two of Angels of Reach! Hopefully you are enjoying the story! The next chapter may not be out for a while but I promise the story will continue! Don't forget to review and leave comments on possible ways to make the story better!**


	3. Storm

_**Chapter 3: Storm**_

**Apologies for the delay! I've had writers block and have been busy this past while with other manners. I hope you understand and accept my apology. With that here is chapter 3! Enjoy!**

July 23rd, 2552

Ryan had sat in the med for a few hours as they patched up his wounds from the recent scuffle with thunder. Turns out he had taken quite a beating from what the doctor had told him and the adrenalin rush must have blocked it out. Hearing that he had a busted nose and a cracked wrist to boot, he didn't think there was much left he had to deal with after the bio-gel had set in. After all, one of thunder squad's boys wouldn't be walking for a couple months and Little Joe would be out for the count until his leg fixed up. However they weren't the only ones that Ryan had to watch his back for after that disturbance.

After the doctor had given him a check over one last time, he told Ryan to let the wrist heal for the day before trying to shoot a gun, something he didn't exactly like hearing. After walking out into the waiting room, filled with the sick and infirmed, he immediately saw his squad waiting for him sitting around in the chairs with half of them resting their heads back. As Ryan walked over, Snow looked up at him with a bright smile reaching her cheeks, but Cross didn't share her enthusiasm to see him. Cross stood and walked right in front of him with a death glare and shook his head. "You got no idea of the shit storm you just got yourself into?"

Looking past Cross's shoulder he met Snow's eyes, looking down at the floor slightly and also slightly pale. Ryan let out a sigh before looking up to meet Cross's thousand mile stare. "So what happens? Run 20 miles? Cleaning toilets with my toothbrush?'

Butch and Hammer had stood up from their nice long rest and Hammer cracked his neck before letting out a long groan as he stretched himself out. Butch yawned and smirked at Ryan, "Oh no, this is out of his hands. It's going up to Admiral Black, which means it won't be good. You seem to be the center of attention these days don't you?" He elbowed him while chuckling. "C'mon, Black won't have the patients we do."

Thoughts raced through his mind as he stood with his squad and began making their way down to the Admiral's office. Knowing that from one fight and it had already attracted the attention of the Admiral? This wasn't going to end well for him or the rest of his squad. After all, Butch and Hammer we're enough trouble to keep from getting in one sort of trouble or the next.

It stayed quiet between the squad members for most of the way as they navigated their way through the crowded hallways, knowing exactly how long he had before he would be transferred, sent down to Reach or stuck cleaning toilets until he was put in his grave. The whole walk was quiet until they reached the door with the name "Admiral C. Black" which Cross knocked on and looked at over at him, "So," Cross let the words come out dry and plain. "All I got to say to you is tell the truth. She knows what happened so lying won't do you any good."

Ryan glanced over at the rest of his squad which all looked slightly concerned except Red, that bastard never showed any emotions, ever. Snow however was looking at him with slightly concerned eyes but her face was solid as Hammer and Butch's skulls combined, typical for her really. He let out a long sigh and smirked. "I'll try not to get transferred."

Before they could say anything else, a voice buzzed over a P.A. "Yes?" a voice came out over, sounding young and spry but very commanding.

Cross looked over at Ryan before speaking back. "We brought Penner, you said you wanted to speak with him?"

The P.A. immediately responded to Cross as soon as the words had come out of his mouth. "Thank you Sergeant, that will be all. You and your squad are dismissed."

Cross gave a nod to Ryan while he clenched his jaw. He hated being called by his last name; ever since he joined up with the Marines he had gotten nicknames before anyone had even memorized his actual name. Unfortunately the higher ranking officers weren't like soldiers, everything being from the book. He never liked being around them when he didn't have to.

With that through his mind the rest of his squad made their leave while the door slid open with a hiss and after he had gone through it had closed and locked itself. Nervously he checked the security clearance for the door, seeing that is was far too high for him to open.

There was a clearing of a throat as he spun around and came to attention and instinctively went into salute which the woman sitting at the desk linked her hands together on the desk. "At ease Penner."

He put his hand to his side and watched as she stared at a screen, watching as it flickered rapidly, opening different files, having no doubt it was an A.I. sorting through them. Black then spoke as she stared through the files with a hardened look on her face. "So… Corporal Ryan Penner, joined the UNSC Marine Corps at age 22, lived on Earth beforehand with your younger sister and parents. At age 26 you had gone into several engagements against covenant forces in which you took an injury sustained from an energy sword. You then spent several years onward taking part in multiple wars against the covenant on multiple different colonies until age 28 which you attempted to join the ODST detachment. After trying for a year at age 29 you successfully were drafted and were placed into Angel squad which you have currently been a part of to this day. Is this correct?"

Ryan swallowed heavily before looking down at the Admiral. Her appearance wasn't at all what he expected, having raven black hair tied into a ponytail, her crisp and sharp uniform with several different medals on the portion over her breast pocket with her nametag just above that. Overall she looked like she was in her twenties if it weren't for the wrinkles on the edges of her eyes and on her hardened, commanding cheeks. He only glanced over her for a moment before he stuck his chin up and stared straight. "Yes Ma'am."

Black looked at him from her desk and watched him closely. "Then you understand very well when I ask you a question you will answer truthfully. I know your kind very well and if you so much as lie to me I will have you stripped of your rank, taken of your position as part of the ODST's, thrown down to Reach where you will be stuck shining Spartan's boots until you lay in your grave. Am I clear?"

"Yes Ma'am!" He quickly responded. In this situation he didn't even have to think, after all, the woman which sat before him had the power to do it.

"Good." she said leaning over her desk and looking straight into his eyes. "My first question is did you or did you not engage in a conflict between another fellow ODST squad?"

Wondering if the truth would get him in a deeper hole, he decided to say in anyways so he didn't lose his spot with angel squad. "That is correct Ma'am."

Black rubber her eyes before sanding and leaving her hands spread apart on her desk. "You do realize we have a war to fight, don't you Corporal?"

"Yes Ma'am." Ryan knew exactly where she was going with this. The covenant invading had been hard on everyone and the officer's were the ones who had to organize the madness. In her shoes he probably just would have just given up.

"Then explain to me why you insist on attacking thunder squad and putting two of them out for the fight until further notice?"

Again he swallowed expecting the worst to come raining down on him from her, but in stead he kept himself fully composed. "Self defense Ma'am, there was no other choice."

Black stood and crossed her hands behind her back and let out a sigh before looking at him with a hardened face but still stern. "Then you will understand when I say that you had better smarten up. This time you may be right Penner but you still left several ODST's out for the count which their recoveries will not be soon. They may have attacked you but they were still soldiers we could have used against the covenant. You're dismissed, but next time this happens, I can promise you this. You will never want to set foot on this system so long as I am on it. Understood?"

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Good, report back in tomorrow for your reassigned jobs. Since the covenant won't be here anytime soon, you will still be stuck with the unpleasant works. Be glad that this is all you will be getting."

With that Penner gave her a salute and made his way to the door but before he walked out, Black spoke behind him. "Hold on a moment."

Ryan turned and looked at her confused; not understanding what else there was to be covered. "Yes Ma'am?"

The Admiral flicked through something on the screen before meeting his eyes with a normal expression and even possibly some sorrow mixed in but he couldn't tell. "I rearranged your shift. You'll be taking a ship back to Earth in exactly one week time to see your family. Your sister deserves to have a brother for her 16th birthday."

He attempted to speak but no words began to form in his mind, not believing what the Admiral had just told him and with that he made his leave. When he stepped out of the office his whole squad was waiting for him and Butch was the first one to grasp an arm around him. "Well he came out alive it seems!" His attitude happy as a kid on Christmas as the rest of the squad stood up from their seats eager to go to bed it seemed. As they walked back to their bunks and Ryan went to walk into his room, Butch hit him on the shoulder and yelled back. "Have a good rest Storm!"

All of a sudden he had realized they must have come up with a nickname for him while he was speaking with the Admiral. He liked it actually, had a nice ring to it and was short enough to use in combat. Snow walked by and brushed hair out of her face before turning to him. "Have a good rest Storm, you've earned it."

With that she made her leave and Ryan didn't get a chance to respond. It was sad enough he could barely speak to her, nonetheless explain to her that he liked her. Problem was being an ODST; everything had to be at a professional level, no loose ends. He smacked his head against his wall before walking in, deciding tomorrow; tomorrow he would tell her how he felt. Hopefully she wouldn't kick him in the balls but if he only had a week left on this planet, he wanted to spend it with her. With that he sat in his bed and closed his eyes, finally being at peace and knowing it would be a good day tomorrow.

**That was chapter 3! I will try to have next one up much sooner than this one! Don't forget to keep following the story and to give me suggestions on how to make it better!**


	4. Descend from the Heavens

**Chapter 4: Decend from the Heavens**

** Sorry for the delay! I apologize for the time it takes for me to write a chapter and if you are still following then thank you for your support! I'll try to work on it more frequently when I have the time. Anyway here is chapter 4 of Angels of Reach!**

July 24th, 2552

Ryan, or "Storm" as he started to call himself like the others, sat in his bunk in a deep sleep, the best sleep he's had in a long time in fact. This time his dream wasn't a nightmare, instead he was back at home, Earth. He saw his sister, Lindsay, running to him with tear glazed eyes running into his arms, glad to finally see her brother after all the years he had been in service. Like never before he was glad to be with the one person he cared about most, seeing the look on her face was something that brought tears to his own eyes. Then he heard footsteps behind him and as he stood holding his sister he saw Snow… dressed in her full ODST armor with her helmet held under her arm as she approached him slowly. Being drawn to Snow, he stood there awkwardly as she wrapped her arms around the back of Ryan's neck and smiled plainly and whispered silently, "Storm…" which confused him; didn't she know his real name?

Suddenly he felt something jerk him suddenly, was that Snow? Storm opened his eyes and looked into Snow's, her expression no longer being soft and rather being stern and hard. Violently she jerked him hard and repeated, "Storm," being much louder and then some kind of strange ambience sounded in the background and finally Snow yelled right in his face at the very top of her lungs as if she was screaming, "Storm!"

In a massive burst of adrenalin his eyes shot wide open and noticed the lights were no longer turned off but instead the alarm was blazing loudly and the lights all lit up flashing in order to wake everyone up. Without hesitation he shot up from his bed and stood, immediately fitting his clothing on before looking back at Snow with a confused expression. "What is this, another damn practice drop?" They had done this a week ago with all the ODST squads to ensure they still knew how to drop in. It was a regular ritual but this one was a little early, even by ODST standards.

Anxiously Snow looked to Ryan and swallowed hard before grabbing him by the shoulders. "I don't know, just get to the armory and get suited up ASAP."

There wasn't any thinking when you were told to suit up; by now it was second nature for him to do this without asking questions. Sprinting past all the bustling engineers and other ODST's trying to make it to where Angel squad was getting set up. This didn't make any sense, why would all these people be running around for a combat drop? Was this a station wide drill? That didn't make sense; they didn't do that because of the amount of people on the ship and the mass confusion they would cause in the process.

Shaking off the thoughts that were buzzing around in his head he ran into Angel squad's armory and saw that the rest of them had already gotten suited up and already were loading up their weapons and doing their final checks. Storm opened his armor locker and quickly started throwing his suit on, fitting on the suit and pressing the chest plate with angel wings on it against his chest, making sure nothing bit into him so when he dropped it wouldn't constrict breathing.

Cross approached him as Storm fitted his combat knife to the right side of his breast plate and already reaching for his magnum, pulling it out to check that it was loaded and grabbing 4 magazines for it, placing them in the magazine pouches. "You got any idea what's happening guys?" Storm said as he looked around the room at his squad, all of them looking just as lost as he was with the whole situation happening around them.

Butch pressed against the back of a Spartan laser, making a high pitched whine as the battery connected to the firing mechanism inside. Raising an eyebrow and propping the Spartan laser on his shoulder and gesturing to Cross. "You got any idea what's going on?"

Storm, as everyone called him now, had already fitted his entire uniform with his three-round burst BR55 Battle rifle, fitting it into the holder in his pod along with his M7-Submachine gun, customized with a silencer and a holographic sight. Turning to face Cross, Storm was thinking of all the possible reasons this could be about but instead of blabbering, he kept his mouth shut waiting for Cross to explain what is going on.

Cross looked around to everyone before speaking in his scary-as-hell-pants-crapping drill voice. "I'll keep this nice and short; our objective is to secure a perimeter for a FOB for marine forces to create an effective counter defense on the ground. Enemy forces have already begun invading the planet surface so expect heavy resistance."

Red slammed a magazine into his .50 caliber M24 sniper rifle before looking back to Cross. "Excuse me sir, but what exactly IS the enemy?"

Cross fitted his helmet on his head before sitting back in his pod. "Who do you think? Shut your mouths and get ready for a combat drop!"

Storm put his helmet onto his head as did everyone else as they sat back in their pods. He looked at Snow who was already in her pod with a look on her face that showed fear, pale white before her visor darkened and he couldn't see it. Storm threw on his helmet and sat in the pod as it sealed shut, suddenly moving to the side as an automated crane system jerked his pod suddenly and held it over top of the drop chute as Cross's voice came out over the radio. "Alright boys, when the UNSC calls upon us to drop in, when we are called upon for the jobs no one else can do, when the asses needed to be kicked need be kicked for good, HOW DO WE RESPOND!?"

All the squad responded as there was a hiss of the locks releasing, Storm took a breath full of air before yelling out in unison with the rest of the squad. "DESCEND FROM THE HEAVENS!"

Suddenly, without any warning, the gut-wrenching feeling of weightlessness filled Storm's body as the bright sunlight filled his visor and he immediately took in the surroundings.

Their pods had dropped in first out of the several hundred other ODST's above them, looking up seeing a small area of sky like a trail from the Pillar of Autumn of drop pods. There was more than your average amount dropped in, usually only a fraction of the amounts to deal with insertions. Storm brought his eyes down and his breathing stopped like he had been punched in the gut and shot; covenant ships dotted above the atmosphere beyond counting from his pod, burning wreckage from UNSC ships and orbital stations burned brightly from the left over plasma that burned their decompressed hulls. Mac rounds pounded at the attacking covenant ships while volley's of plasma torpedoes, havoc missiles and covenant ships pouring in from slip space like they were throwing their entire fleet at them. As Storm's pod hit the first layer of atmosphere he grabbed a hold of the controls and began steering it manually, something about computers made the ODST's uneasy so they usually flew solo. Once the pods reached the inner layer of atmosphere, covenant corvettes over the major populations had already set up and began launching phantoms and spirits onto the surface. Storm hit the switch on his chute which opened up and slowed him down a little bit.

Suddenly there was a lurch and a loud clang was heard as his chute broke off from the pod, hitting another pod above him and crushing it into itself and flying off course. Hammer suddenly screamed out over comms as Storm's pod went into free fall. "SHIT! STORM!"

He managed to look up to see his fellow hell jumpers above him as they began to slow down while he continued at the same speed, thoughts going through his mind as he streaked towards the earth at 4500 feet and falling fast. Nothing was coming to mind; this was just like when he pissed himself except this was a LOT higher and he would definitely not survive the drop from this altitude. Radio chatter filled his ears from his squad mates talking but he had no clue what they were saying, Storm just knew he would probably wind up flat as a fucking pancake. Great way to die, quick and painless he supposed. But as he passed through the main cloud layer and stared down at the ground from his altitude he saw a beach with a wide passing ocean lying out for as afar as the eye could see. From what he could tell his pod was going to hit nearby the beach on land which he knew would kill him before he knew what happened. However he then thought of his sister, his parents, his home, Snow… how could he explain to her how he felt if he was dead? At that moment he had flashbacks of all the times he had with everyone he knew in his life, the ocean reminding him of his childhood home, skipping rocks with his sister standing on the beach on his 12th birthday, through to his wedding with Snow and them having children until they died on Earth peacefully and happily. However he looked back to the skipping rocks when he was a boy and looked down at the ocean, getting the most absolute, impossible, outlandish and bat-shit insane idea he ever conceived in his time as a hell jumper.

Skip the pod across the water onto the beach, just like skipping stones.

At this point, Storm didn't give a fuck if it worked or not.

Fighting with the intense g-force, he fought with the controls to force his pod to move straight down so that he was now plunging straight towards the dark, dreary waters of the ocean instead of the beach. Storm let his pod descend down towards the water while clenching his controls tightly knowing he had to get his timing right. Just like the rocks, if his pod went too high, it would hit the shallows and kill him from the impact. If it came in too sharp, it would hit the water and most likely kill him or pull his pod into the depths where he would drown. Breathing heavily and slowly pulling on the controls to bring the pod so it would come in more flat, the pod began shaking violently and controlling it began to become harder and harder as the water then began to rush up towards him as he tried to level out the pod. Looking at his altitude gauge it read 2300, 1750, 1392, 946. Storm now put the finishing touches on the angle before he saw that right before he was about to hit the water, he noticed a dark, reef beneath the surface and cursed loudly. "Oh for FUCK…"

Before the thought could even be finished, the pod streaked towards the black abyss and he didn't even feel anything as it smashed hard against the water and his vision blacked out.

**That was chapter 4! Hope you enjoyed the change of pace compared to the first 3 chapter and there will be more to come! Don't forget to follow along and if you see anything you like or don't like? Drop in a comment and I'll be happy to fix it for you! **


	5. Rude Awakenings

**I am sorry! I know I haven't updated my story and I apologize. I will try to update more often and I hope you will continue reading and to not give up on me. With that here is chapter 5, enjoy!**

**Chapter 5: Rude Awakenings**

July 25th, 2552

Sitting in the earth with a black pillar of smoke rising from the newly exposed, earth sat Storm's pod, dented and morphed from the impact but still intact. The sky let down a beacon of light onto the surface of the under siege planet, the rising fire and smoke swallowing what were once mighty cities, now nothing more than empty hollow shells of the once impervious planet. With everything that was happening in such a short amount of time, Storm could only be certain about one thing; he was still breathing, in pain, but breathing. Knowing that he was completely isolated from all other UNSC reinforcements, Storm knew that he wouldn't have much time before he had covenant bastards crawling on his ass. He was planning to be long gone before they showed up.

As his headache pounded at the back of his head like a bad habit, Storm hit the emergency release on the pod and a loud hiss came loudly from his pod moments before the door flew off, skipping away as he rolled out of the pod since it had landed on its side. Standing from the deformed pod, his eyes caught the fact that there were large and the dirt having the same texture as his pod was sunken into meant that his pod must have skipped across the ground hard, explaining his sore shoulders from being jerked in the harness. After calming his nerves a bit he then noticed something odd about his suit, immediately checking to find if something was broken or out of place. When he finally reached the groin plate he found it wet, smelling strongly of urine as dread filled his mind; bed wetter all over again. As much as he hated that nickname he knew this wasn't a time to joke around and he even hesitated which when you are an ODST, hesitating will get you killed in a heartbeat. Shaking off the thought as much as he could while he began grabbing his gear from his dented and ruined pod wasn't easy and took him longer to grab a hold of himself and all of the negative crap out of himself. Finally equipped with his gear strapped and his battle rifle cradled in his arms he began jogging away from his pod and up a large hill, jagged with rocks and his best bet if he didn't want to get grinded into a brute's breakfast. As he made it about half way up the hill with the small rocks rolling down the hill as he climbed, a loud whining sound went into his ears as he stopped, listening as the whining grew louder and louder and he crept his way into a small cluster of stones while waiting.

Suddenly a phantom roared over the hill, followed by two others as they flew around the pod, dropping their teams of covenant consisting of elites, grunts and some shield jackals. Storm swore he might have seen a few sniper jackals in the mix but he didn't count, all he knew was there were 20-1 odds and that was enough to get him moving. After finally going from cover to cover up the hill, he finally sat crouched staring across the wide open terrain. Then as his radio gained a signal and a very familiar voice broke through the static. "Is there anyone on this channel? This is Corperal Butch of Angel squad. My pod is down and I am unable to…" Before the sentence was finished, there was a loud, vicious roar and the voice became extremely angry. "Fuck! They found me! If anyone is hearing this I'm at…!" A pound sounded through the radio and the talking ceased. Immediately he used his HUD to track the position of Butch's "distress" call and began moving towards his position. Apparently he had a bad drop to and he didn't know how long he would last against what he would assume to be brutes.

As Storm drew nearer and nearer to the source of Butch's distress signal, there was an immediate change of the regular silence replaced by the sound of rage induced screams and the hollow panging that reminded him of a child hitting a tin can with a stick. As he crouched down and kept himself low to the ground as he went up onto a hill, his eye caught four brutes all standing around the source of the signal and in front of the pod wielding a gravity hammer, a really angry brute chieftain. Judging by the dents in the door of the upright pod, Storm realized that Butch was still inside with a brute hammering on it constantly, this would turn out really interesting or really bad. Then with another ferocious roar the brute picked up his gravity hammer and smashed the pod door again, angry cursing coming from inside and then pounding back. "Hey! You dumb apeshit motherfucker! Let me get this pod open and I'll kick your sorry ass!" The brute responded by another scream and smashing the pod again, to which Butch responded, "That is it! Knock knock, here comes Butch!" Storm immediately raised his rifle and placed the sight on the nearest Brute.

Well…shit.

As the Chieftain raised his hammer to smash the door once again, there was a hiss from the emergency release and without warning as it held it above his head, the door flew off and hit it clean in the chest. When the other brutes raised their weapons to open fire, the one closest to Butch got a good nine bullets into the side of its neck and head, dark red blood spewing all over itself and gurgling as it crumpled to the ground. The other brute growled as it watched one of its pack members drop and in sheer rage fired a long burst of its brute spiker at Storm, pelting the earth enough so he took cover, not wanting to get poked with holes. As he reloaded his battle rifle the sound of a shotgun blast sounded out and he poked his head out of cover to see a brute with a hole blown clean through the once armor covered chest, now just a bubbling mess as the last bit of life left it. Butch had taken cover behind his pod and fired a blast at the brute to his left, blasting it with enough shot to blow its armor off and leaving it in a sheer rage which Storm then quickly fired a burst clean into the dead center of its skull, jaw wide open as it flew back and landed hard. The last one took this chance to raise its brute shot to fire at Storm who was now moving to better cover, the grenade landing directly to his side which sent him sprawling to his side, throwing his rifle to his side. He felt some shrapnel hit his armor plates on his legs as he laid dazed, expecting the second shot to come and finish him off but instead heard the crack of a sniper rifle and the wild shot of the grenade flying off from its mark. As the adrenalin wore off from the explosion and Storm regained his head, Butch was already picking up the gravity hammer and bringing it down on top of the chieftain's head, splattering bits of brain and blood all across the ground and on his boots as he yelled at the mangled corpse. "Doesn't feel very nice does it you shit sniffing son of a bitch!"

Storm examined the rage induced squad member as Butch tossed aside the hammer and went back to retrieve the rest of his gear. He chuckled as he walked over to the cursing man. "Still haven't lost it eh?"

Butch pulled hard on his Spartan laser until it came free, placing it on his back as he turned to Storm. "I never did lose my touch; you of all people should know that."

He couldn't help letting out a smile until footsteps approached and both he and Butch raised there weapons until they saw who it was; Red. Lowering them immediately and knowing it was he who must have taken the shot on that one brute. "Heard your signal Butch, was hoping for a few more injuries."

Letting out a sigh and holding his arms wide, Butch gave the appearance like he was sad. "I know, it must be a terrible disappointment to the crowed.

As the radio came through with Cross's voice, it was the three of them knew it was time to get back to work. "Storm, Butch, good to hear that you're both still breathing. Get back to us ASAP; we got a war to fight."

At that moment after a few glances, Butch racked his shotgun and chuckled. "After all these years of serving with you sir, I've never been more glad to hear your voice."

With that, Red took lead and ran ahead while Butch and Storm followed behind. Now, from all he had been through, Storm could only assume that whatever lay out before them, but one thing was absolutely clear.

If Reach was going to fall, those bastards were going to pay for every life lost with ten of their own.

**Thank you for reading my story! I will try to work on the next chapter much faster than before. If you have anything you would like to see or even just a correction I should make, just remember to tell me and I will fix it as soon as I can! Thank you again and hopefully you will continue reading!**


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